Recently in China, more specifically in the county of Zhangjiagang, local authorities uncovered a syndicate that slaughters cats and markets them as either lamb or pork.
According to The Paper, a group of animal activists headed by a certain Miss Han discovered that a huge number of cats were stored in multiple wooden boxes at a cemetery.
For illustration purposes only.
After staking out the area for about 6 days, they found a lorry transporting the cats and called the authorities. The police arrived at the scene shortly and managed to uncover the syndicate.
Miss Han who is the leader of the activist group says that she is familiar with these lorries that they call cat carts.
“Although they are all long like trucks and covered tightly, they are always the same. When I drove by, I knew immediately it was a cat truck.”
Speaking about why she is so sure, Miss Han says that she busted about 20 of these cat carts when she was on her quest to search for her missing cats last year.
A cat cart.
The cats amounting to more than a thousand that were in the intercepted lorry were sent to a temporary shelter. Pictures of them were put in animal lover groups on social media platforms so that their owners could come and reclaim them. Those who do not have owners will be put up for adoption.
According to Gong Jian, an animal lover who is working on a cat-centric project, the cats that were captured would have been slaughtered, frozen and marketed as other types of meats. Sometimes, they would be processed into kebabs, ham or sausages.
“Cat meat is sold 4.5 yuan (RM2.94) per catty (0.6kg) while mutton is sold for 30 yuan (RM19.59) per catty. So as long as they catch a cat, they will make a profit.”
Rescued cats at the temporary shelter.
It is said that the captured cats are of all breeds and sizes. Some of them have really good coats and body shapes which shows that they were well taken care of by their owners.
Well, we’re so glad that the activists managed to uncover this syndicate. We hope that the cats will be reunited with their family soon.
Also read: M’sians Disgusted at Frog Meat Displayed at Local Supermarket; Mgmt Says Supplier Sent Wrong Item
